NEW ZEALAND EYES UPGRADING ASEAN TIES, 50TH ANNIVERSARY SUMMIT IN OCTOBER
By Wan Muhammad Aslah Wan Razali
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- ASEAN and New Zealand, marking their 50th year of dialogue relations this year, will celebrate their milestone with a Commemorative Leaders’ Summit in Kuala Lumpur at the end of the year.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the special summit has been planned to coincide with the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits chaired by Malaysia in October.
He described the 50th year milestone as an incredibly exciting time, particularly for New Zealand, which will continue to work with ASEAN to contribute to peace and stability in this region.
“ASEAN plays a central role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and has been a steadfast partner of New Zealand for 50 years. New Zealand is committed to investing more into our relationships in Southeast Asia.
“This is why we are pursuing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, one that is meaningful, substantive, mutually beneficial and reflects New Zealand’s character as a longstanding partner to ASEAN,” he said in a written interview to Bernama.
Peters, who led the New Zealand delegation to the recently concluded 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings (AMM) and related meeting held here, last week, reaffirmed New Zealand’s strong support for ASEAN’s central role in maintaining regional stability and pledged deeper cooperation with the bloc.
He said ASEAN’s convening power and steady leadership are crucial in navigating today’s geopolitical complexities.
He noted that ASEAN’s role and Malaysia’s leadership were evident throughout the meetings.
Peters added his engagements at the high-level meetings focused on strategic issues impacting the stability of the region and advancing collaboration to promote security and prosperity in line with the aspiration of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045: Our Shared Future.
New Zealand became ASEAN’s dialogue partner in 1975, making it the second-oldest dialogue partner to the regional bloc.
In 2015, their relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership. Vietnam is the current country coordinator for ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations.
Total trade between ASEAN and New Zealand reached NZ$27 billion (approximately US$15.9 billion) in 2024.
The 58th AMM and related meetings, held from July 8 to 11 under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, themed ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, drew over 1,500 delegates and featured 24 ministerial-level sessions.
-- BERNAMA
